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Looking for advice on herbs

ariadna.bakhmatovaariadna.bakhmatova Posts: 118
in Fruit & veg
Hi everyone, I’m looking to start growing basil; mint; coriander; dill and parsley in my garden, asap:) I’m a complete novice though so would love your advice to follow. Is now a good time to plant all these herbs? Should I buy ready pots of these herbs in a supermarket and plant them or sow the seeds? Looking for quick result here:) Should I just add multi compost to the soil and then sow the herbs? Can I group some of these herbs and grow them in the same pot? Any more tips? 
Thank you !

Posts

  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,318
    Hello Ariadna, I am guessing from your list of herbs that you are growing them to use in the kitchen?  All the herbs on your list can be started from supermarket pots (although Dill can be a bit hit and miss) and will give you a near instant supply of herbs.  There is no guarantee they will be organic unless the label specifically says so, depends on your philosophy whether that is an issue.

    If you start your herb collection from these pots it is always a good idea to repot them immediately. The growers ram them in and you will probably manage three or four pots for each herb.  Multi Purpose compost is fine for this repotting and maybe add some grit to the Dill and Coriander.

    They will need to be hardened off over several weeks as they are grown in an artificial environment so keep them somewhere light, airy and with reasonable day and night temperatures.

    What type of soil do you have in your garden?  I see from your previous posts that you are in London so they could be planted out in May after the cold weather (hopefully) but I would plant out half only so you have some in reserve.

    Do not plant the mint in open ground as it will take over, sink a pot into the ground with the lip about 2" above ground and this will discourage it spreading - but watch it as the runners will try for open ground.

    Personally I never grow Basil in open ground, I have a pot in the kitchen, one in the greenhouse and one by the kitchen door as they like warmth but not much direct sun, very nutrient rich, well drained soil and so tend to perform much better in pots. They are easy to root in water from cuttings and the Sweet Basil is usually grown as an annual.

    Check out this site https://www.jekkas.com which will give you more information on the habit of each herb and good luck.
    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    You can group herbs in one pot and this can give you a nice summer display, and if you decide to branch out into the shrubby herbs such as sage, thyme and rosemary they will be quite happy in pots, in groups or otherwise, and also do very well in the garden. As for mint in pots, I always let the stuff ramble around the garden as it seems to be more vigorous when unconfined and this winter it has continued to produce leaves until it was covered in snow. Moroccan mint is a very good variety for use in the kitchen.
  • ariadna.bakhmatovaariadna.bakhmatova Posts: 118
    Thank you so much. I think I’ll keep everything in pots. Would you recommend a herb planter? Is it worth buying one, or just simple pots per each herb? So March is too early to sow seeds of any herb or plant from the supermarket pots?
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    If you mean one of those pots with lots of holes, I wouldn't. Difficult to get the watering right. Either one or two 'standard' large pots or a group of smaller ones will allow you to let the hot ones dry out and keep the cool ones watered. Also you can move them around to keep the sun lovers in the sun as the season goes on.
    Always keep the mint in its own pot - its a complete thug and it'll swamp everything else.
    Remember parsley has a very deep thick root (think of a large parsnip - that sort of size), so a tall pot and don't try to repot it once it's growing.
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • ariadna.bakhmatovaariadna.bakhmatova Posts: 118
    that's great advice, thank you! So just a couple of things to clarify, if I may:) 
    1. Should I indeed be buying all of the herbs in pots from a supermarket and replanting them, or is it better to sow seeds for some of the herbs?
    2. Should i be waiting until May to plant anything?
    3. My soil in the garden is quite depleted and very hard, what's the ratio of that soil + compost that i should use for replanting?

    thank you!
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Greek basil, parsley ( both kinds) and coriander are good supermarket buys. Rosemary looks like a good bet too as I have plenty, I've never tried it. Chives do really well too. Mint always looks weedy to me so I'd probably but that one in the garden centre if I needed it. Thyme looks too soft and weak for repotting but I've never tried it.. Ditto marjoram.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,318
    It is up to you how you start them off Ariadna, you said you were looking for a quick result and that would be pots from a supermarket. Once you have repotted them you can start harvesting in about a week or so from those pots.

    Basil is not worth planting out as I said, the others need a bit more warmth so April/May depending on the temperature.  If you decide to plant in the open ground then prepare the soil by adding compost and grit.

    All the herbs on your list will grow quite happily from seed so you could do both, depends how much you intend to use them.
    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • ariadna.bakhmatovaariadna.bakhmatova Posts: 118
    great, thank you so much for all your help!
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    edited March 2021
    Parsley germinates slowly, so unless you want a very specific variety, I'd go for supermarket ones. I always grow basil from sm herbs - it's not difficult from seed but I'm lazy and it's so easy to split those pots into half a dozen decent clumps, it saves germinating it in my limited indoor space.
    Mint comes in lots of varieties so I buy that in a GC to get the sort I want - I have peppermint and tashkent mint (for tea), spearmint and apple mint (for cooking) and a 'garden mint' from my Mum's garden (I think it's a type of spearmint) for mint sauce. 
    Coriander bolts very quickly so I usually grow that from seed to get a variety that bolts less.
    I've never grown dill. I do grow fennel and the two don't mix - well, actually they do mix, which is the problem.
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
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